Tag Archives: on the job

Short rounds: C.S. Lewis and the anthropology of sanitation workers

Posted on November 27, 2023 by smellincoffee

First up, C.S. Lewis’ The Pilgrim’s Regress. Lewis dashed this off immediately after converting to Christianity in 1933, and it’s a fictional and fantastical rendering of his own journey throughout the twenties as he fell away from his childhood faith, … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Religion and Philosophy, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Secret Life of Groceries

Posted on January 31, 2022 by smellincoffee

The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket © 2020 Benjamin Lorr336 pages The Secret Life of Groceries opens at a fish counter and invites the reader to consider how much labor, creativity, money, pain, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Eyeball-eating cats, an OB-GYN’s diary, and plague

Posted on March 30, 2020 by smellincoffee

Last week I read several titles that  I want to share without necessarily writing full reviews for, since they’re on the shorter side.  They are… This is Going to Hurt: The Secret Diary of a  Junior Doctor, Adam Kay Will … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Within Arm’s Reach

Posted on October 1, 2018 by smellincoffee

Within Arm’s Length: The Extraordinary Life and Career of a Special Agent in the United States Secret Service © 2014, 2018 Dan Emmett 320 pages Dan Emmett was a kid when he witnessed President Kennedy’s assassination on television, but instead … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

Posted on September 9, 2018 by smellincoffee

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory© 2014 Caitlin Doughty272 pages Memento mori — remember your death. Young Caitlin Doughty couldn’t help but remember it; as a child she was traumatized by the memory of another girl … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

The Job

Posted on July 15, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Job: True Tales from a New York City Cop © 2015 Steve Osborn 272 pages Steve Osborn grew up by his father’s side in a bar, standing on boxes to play pinball and idolizing the men his father hung … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Mean Streets

Posted on January 15, 2017 by smellincoffee

Mean Streets: Confessions of a Nightime Taxi Driver© 2002 Peter McSherry256 pages Mean Streets takes readers into the dark side of Canada, or at least the dark side of Toronto. Ever since the 1970s, Peter McSherry has been driving the night … Continue reading →

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Danger Heavy Goods

Posted on December 4, 2016 by smellincoffee

Danger Heavy Goods: Driving the Toughest, Most Dangerous Roads in the WorldAlso known as: Juggernaut: Trucking to Saudi Arabia© 1988 Robert Hutchinson288 pages “Makes Smokey and the Bandit Look Like Smokey and the Boy Scouts” When is a lorry not … Continue reading →

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Truck This For A Living

Posted on November 24, 2016 by smellincoffee

Truck This for a Living: Tales of a UK Lorry Driver© 2014  Gary Mottram226 pages After hand-manufacturing woodwind instruments for thirteen years, Gary Mottram was laid off. So naturally, he took up driving. Working through a temp agency, he delivered … Continue reading →

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Taxi!

Posted on January 30, 2016 by smellincoffee

Taxi! A Social History of the New York City Cabdriver©  2007 Graham Russell Gao Hodges225 pages No film set in New York City is complete without scenes of Manhattan traffic, dense with yellow cars — the patrolling ranks of the … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments